On December 9, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) hosted the Forum on Information Technology Management Reform with Federal Chief Performance Officer Jeffrey Zients, U.S. Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra, and OMB Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy Daniel Gordon.

During the Forum, Kundra unveiled the 25 Point Implementation Plan To Reform Federal Information Technology Management, which lays out an 18-month executional strategy to improve government efficiency, effectiveness, and service delivery.

The Implementation Plan is part of a larger effort by the Obama Administration to address persistent, pressing problems afflicting federal IT. Zients discussed how the government has achieved too few of the productivity gains seen in the private sector, despite spending more than $600 billion on IT investments over the past decade.

“These fundamental reforms are going to change the way we manage information technology moving forward,” said Kundra, explaining how the 25 action steps support the following objectives:
  • Applying “light technologies” and shared solutions.
  • Strengthening program management.
  • Aligning the acquisition process with the technology cycle.
  • Aligning the budget process with the technology cycle.
  • Streamlining governance and improving accountability.
  • Increasing engagement with industry.
Addressing an audience of government CIOs, IT managers, contracting officials, and other IT professionals, Zients asked to be held accountable “for executing on our plan with discipline and urgency.”